In Beirut, five women meet regularly in a beauty salon, a colorful and sensual microcosm of the city where several generations mix, talk and confide in each other. In the salon, the women's intimate and liberatedconversations revolve around men, sex and motherhood, in between haircuts and sugar waxing with caramel. Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri) is a spirited bombshell on the verge of marrying a conservative Muslim even though she is no longer a virgin. Jamale (Gisele Aouad), an aging actress and divorced mother of two, goes to absurd lengths to hold back time. Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) suppresses her attraction to women, until her own dream girl walks through the door. Seamstress Rose (Siham Haddad) deflects the attentions of a gentleman suitor to care for her older sister. And Layale (played by the stunning Labaki), the owner and lifeblood of the salon, carries on a hopeless affair with a married man. When her lover beeps his car horn outside the shop, the other women roll their eyes, but they let her go.

Born in Lebanon in 1974, Nadine Labaki studied media at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut. Her school film project was awarded in Paris in 1998. She went on to directing commercials and musical clips for well known Middle-Eastern artists. In 2004, she attended the Résidence du Festival de Cannes to write Caramel.

About the Presenting Organizations:

3rd I New York's monthly film and music salon designed by local filmmakers and experimental djs showcases the works of independent filmmakers of South Asian descent and local djs, musicians and electronica artists. Providing alternative forums for South Asianfilmmakers who often have few venues to showcase their work not only increases their visibility, but also provides a social forum for peers and audiences to participate in an ongoing discussion. See www.thirdi.org/~ny for more information.

The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is a grassroots, civil rights organization that welcomes people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities as members. ADC works to protect the civil rights of all people of Arab heritage in the U.S. by conducting political advocacy, providing legal services and raising awareness of Arab-American interests and issues in the mainstream U.S. media. The work of the New York Chapter of the ADC involves advocacy to local and NY state elected officials, media appearances in the New York area, legal referrals and and organization of cultural and educational events on issues of interest or concern to the Arab-American community.

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3rd i NY & Alwan Collaborative Monthly Screening Series are made possible in part through support from The Fund for Creative Creative Communities administered through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.